Aspiring Politician Hopes Rare Sexual Fetish, Felony Record Won’t Hold Him Back

An aspiring young politician admits a criminal record resulting from a rare sexual fetish called “cranking” that he claims caused him to break into vehicles and masturbate in them is holding back his run for the Michigan Legislature.

Jordan D. Haskins, 24, of Sagniaw told MLive/The Saginaw News he is haunted by his past, but is determined to put it behind him.  His record includes prison sentences in two states – North Carolina and Michigan – stemming from a series of incidents from April 2010 to January 2011 in which he broke into the vehicles and sexually gratified himself.

Haskins, a Republican, is running for the Michigan House District 95 seat that will be vacated with the incumbent, Rep. Stacy Erwin Oakes, D-Saginaw, decided to run for a seat in the Senate.

Haskins, who remains on parole until about two weeks before the Nov. 4 general election, is the only Republican on the ballot. His eventual opponent will be determined in the Aug. 5 primary, where four

Haskins said he was a “young and stupid” teenager who was drawn into criminal behavior for “the thrill” and “the rush.”

Specifically, police said, Haskins pulled spark plug wires from the vehicles he broke into, then masturbated as he pumped the pedal to cause the engine to spark and make noises. Targeted vehicles included law enforcement and mosquito patrol vehicles, police told MLive/The Saginaw news. He reportedly told police he learned about the technique online.

The Independent said “cranking,” also called “pedal-pumping,” is a growing trend, calling it “a new sort of clean, monotonous niche porn that is taking over the web with a big American ‘redneck’ following.”

Prison was a wakeup call, he said, and “that isn’t even me anymore.”

He hopes voters will give him a chance as a conservative who stands for “faith, family and freedom.”

Haskins, who said on his web site that he is on the executive committee of the Saginaw County Republican Party, said he’s running because he thinks Saginaw “needs a new energy, a new idea system representing them” and he wants to “bring a new perspective” to the Legislature.

"I feel that, yes, I've made mistakes in my past," he told the MLive/The Saginaw News. "But I'm working to correct those things and to try at least to put in my small part and help others in my community and try to make things right. I hope the citizens of the city and the 95th District will give me that chance. ...

“I want to be the candidate that says that Republicans don't just care about perfect, whitewashed, the perfect people," he said. "Those who have never been through struggles and trials.”

If he’s elected in the longstanding Democrat-leaning district, Haskins said one of his priorities will be helping convicted felons assimilate back into the workforce and society when they’re released from prison to help curb a high recidivism rate, which he said burdens taxpayers.

The Saginaw County Republican Party isn’t weighing in for or against Haskins.  A spokesman for the party told MLive/The Saginaw News a decision will be made sometime after the primry on whether to financially support Haskins’ campaign.